The Assorted Drabble Cluster
by ennaxxor
Summary: A small collection of drabbles I've written for The Big Bang Theory. Mostly gen, but some are Leonard/Penny.
1. Swimming

**Disclaimer:** If I owned the show, I'd be writing episodes, not drabbles.

**A/N:** These were written a while ago for a livejournal challenge, and now I'm bringing my favorite ones over here. I've probably got about 15 or so that I'll be posting over the next few days. (Chapter titles are the prompts that inspired and had to be included somehow in each drabble.)

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**Swimming**

Leonard didn't bat an eye when he entered the apartment to find Sheldon sprawled on the floor, arms and legs waving rhythmically.

"Swimming again?" Leonard asked, sitting down at his desk.

"I realized that while I mastered the front crawl and backstroke, I never completed the butterfly and breaststroke. My recent escapade in the ball pit reminded me of the importance of proper technique, and thus I have chosen to resume my training."

"Do I hear water running?"

"Yes, I've also decided to take it one step further, and practice in the bathtub. Now, have you seen my water wings?"


	2. Astronomy

**Astronomy**

Giving up on the crossword puzzle, Penny turned to the horoscopes instead.

"Hey Sheldon, you're a Taurus, right?"

"If you are asking which of the twelve zodiac signs Western astrology has matched with my birth, then yes. However, I reject the label, as I refuse to participate in such nonsense."

"Come on, it's about the stars and the universe! It's like, science."

"Astronomy is a valid scientific field of study. Your silly horoscopes, however, are nothing more than astrology, pure hokum."

"But it says 'you will accomplish great things!'"

Sheldon snorted.

"While normally I would agree, tonight is Mario Kart."


	3. Princess

**Princess**

Leonard hugged Penny from behind, looking over her shoulder at their newborn daughter. She was fast asleep, wearing a pink onesie that read "Daddy's Little Princess."

"Come back to bed," he whispered.

"But she might need me."

"We'll hear her if she needs anything, and you need sleep."

"But what if-"

"Sheldon tested the baby monitor, and when it didn't meet his standards, he got Wolowitz to help amp up the volume. And that's on top of her initial crying, which we already know is disproportionately loud for how small she is."

Penny wavered.

"Five more minutes?"

Leonard smiled.

"Okay."


	4. Physics

**Physics**

Although he'd never tested the theory, Sheldon never believed himself capable of climbing the tree in his family's front yard. Given his lack of muscle strength, and height of the branches, it seemed an impossibility.

He was proven wrong one fateful day in July.

"Good chicken," he said, backing up slowly. "Nice chicken."

The chicken clucked, tilted her head, then charged.

With no other option, Sheldon made a beeline for the tree. Had he been in possession of a stopwatch, he was sure he would have beaten Missy's record for making it to the top.

Apparently angry chickens trump physics.


	5. Superman Cape

**Superman Cape**

"Daddy, look what I found!"

Leonard looked up to see his five-year-old daughter wearing his Superman cape, the red material trailing along the floor behind her.

"Can I wear it for Halloween?" she asked, jumping in excitement.

"Honey, it's a little big for you…" he stared, but stopped as soon as he saw her smile fade. "Why don't we see if Mommy can make one just for you, and then we can match?"

Instantly, the smile was back.

"Ok! Up, up, and away!"

Recognizing his cue, Leonard swooped her up and spun her in circles, her laughter filling the apartment.


	6. Butter

**Butter**

Penny knew exactly what she was going to do for the 6th grade science fair.

Fact 1: Cats always land on their feet.

Fact 2: Toast always lands butter side down.

Question: What happens if you drop a cat with buttered toast attached to its back?

First she tried tying the toast to her cat. When that didn't work, she tried taping it. And when that didn't work, she tried glue.

Several pieces of toast, an angry cat, and two arms full of scratches later, Penny's only conclusion was that she wanted nothing else to do with science, ever again.


	7. Sheets

**Sheets**

"Next!"

Sheldon stepped up to the customer service counter of Pottery Barn, the Star Wars sheets clutched in his hands.

"I would like to return these sheets."

"Was there anything wrong with them?" the worker asked.

"They're too stimulating for a good night's sleep."

"Too stimulating?"

"How can I be expected to sleep when I have Darth Vader starting at me, multiple times over?"

"Close your eyes?"

"Just because I can't see him doesn't mean he's not there. If the simple act of blinking was enough to defeat Darth Vader, Star Wars would have been a much shorter film series."


	8. Arctic

**Arctic**

Penny hopes she's not about to lose her job as she asks her manager whether or not Sheldon and the guys can borrow the giant walk-in freezer to prepare for their trip to the arctic.

She's certain that he's about to tell her no, but then he pauses.

"Wait, is this that tall guy, comes every Tuesday night, sits in the same place?"

Penny nodded.

"Always orders the exact same thing, extremely picky, recently wrote a letter complaining about a draft?"

"That's the one."

"And he's going to be gone for three months?" He laughed. "Tell them the freezer's theirs!"


	9. Laptop

**Laptop**

Penny groaned in frustration. Her laptop had frozen, again. And it hadn't even been a week since the guys left for the arctic, meaning she still had months before Leonard would be back to help.

What were the keys he pressed? She stared blankly at the keyboard, wishing she'd paid more attention.

Penny reached for the packet Leonard had left with her, detailing their travel plans, hoping that maybe she'd overlooked a way to contact them. She was ready to give up, until she spotted a note hastily written on the last page:

_Ctl+ Alt+ Delete, just in case_

_-Leonard_


	10. Hotdog

**Hotdog**

Leonard bought three hotdogs and returned to where Penny and Clara were waiting. Despite Penny's efforts to dress Clara as Cinderella, she had insisted on wearing her Jedi robes.

Clara took one bite before she was standing again, ready to go.

"Can we go on Star Tours again, please? And I wanna get a lightsaber!"

"You have two lightsabers at home," said Penny. "And you need to finish eating first."

Clara sighed but sat down and took another bite.

"Only your daughter would turn a trip to Disneyland into a Star Wars celebration," Penny whispered to Leonard, smiling despite herself.


	11. Lamp

**Lamp**

"Mommy!"

Penny rushed into Clara's bedroom and turned on the lamp.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"The gremlins are gonna get me!"

"Gremlins? Did Uncle Howard show you another movie?"

"Uh-huh."

"That's the last time he baby-sits," Penny muttered. "I promise, the gremlins aren't coming, it's just a movie."

"Can we leave the light on, just in case?"

"Of course we can."

Clara's eyes began to droop, and Penny absentmindedly hummed a soft tune. When Clara was asleep, Penny stood and turned to find Leonard in the doorway.

She fixed him with a glare, which he easily interpreted.

"I'll talk to Wolowitz."


	12. Tattoo

**Tattoo**

Penny was 18 when she moved to California. Fresh out of high school, she was bound and determined to gain a career in acting. She was also scared out of her mind.

It was during her second week that she got the tattoo. After careful consideration, she chose the Chinese symbol for "courage," knowing that without it she'd be back home in a month.

Years later, when she's still waitressing at the Cheesecake Factory, and no closer to making it big than she was at 18, her tattoo reminds her of why she came, and why she's not giving up.


	13. Light Bulb

**Light Bulb**

Christmas was always Penny's favorite time of the year. Stringing colored light bulbs on the tree, setting out the handmade decorations, the snowball fights that always accompanied the first snowfall.

One year when it snowed on Christmas day, Penny and her dad declared a snowball war against her sister, mom, and brother. Although outnumbered, they creamed their opposition.

"That's my little slugger," her dad had said, giving her a rare smile, and Penny was sure it was one of the happiest days of her life.

Although she loves California, every now and then she still longs for another snow day.


	14. Purse

**Purse**

"Appeteasers! Get it? I made it up myself."

Penny rolled her eyes and slipped her phone out of her purse for what felt like the thousandth time, checking to see if enough time had passed yet so she could gracefully leave. It hadn't.

She'd thought it was a cute joke when he'd brought up "appeteasers" when they'd first met. Now she sees that should have been her first clue.

Sighing, she took another swig of her beer. Maybe if she got buzzed enough, Zack wouldn't seem so stupid. Either that, or she would succumb to her urges to strangle him.


	15. Physics 2

**Physics**

Penny may not be as smart as her new neighbors, the physics geniuses, but she's not an idiot. So when she goes to dinner with Leonard, and none of the others show up, and he's not wearing his usual t-shirt… she knows something's up.

She feels bad for misunderstanding his initial dinner invitation, even though she's not sure what her answer would have been had she known the real question at the time.

When the night comes to a sudden, early end, and she finds herself surprisingly disappointed, she realizes she has her answer for if he should ask again.


	16. Hair Spray

**A/N:** This is the last of my drabbles for now. If I'm later inspired and write more later, I'll add them here, but currently this is it. Hope you've enjoyed them!

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**Hair Spray**

"What's this?" Leonard asked, pulling a photo album from a bottom shelf.

"Don't look at that!" Penny reached for the book, but it was too late. He'd already opened it, revealing pictures from her childhood. Back before she'd worn makeup and used hairspray, when she ran barefoot across her family's farm, dirt often covering her clothes.

"Is this you?" Leonard asked, looking up and grinning. "You're adorable!"

Penny wrinkled her nose, moving to sit closer to him and gain a better view of the pictures. She still saw nothing but her awkward youth.

"You really think so?"

"I know so."


End file.
